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This enzyme is called p450, and several diet supplements and herbs have reported effects on it. Depending on how these products interact with p450, using anti-HIV drugs with them could either raise or lower the blood levels of the anti-HIV drugs. Herbs with reported effects on p450 include St. John's Wort, garlic, ginseng, melatonin, milk thistle (silymarin), geniposide and skullcap. For more detailed information on St. John's Wort, read NIH Study Cautions Use of St. John's Wort with Anti-HIV drugs.
Zidovudine (ZDV), also known as azidothymidine (AZT), is an antiretroviral medication used to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS.It is of the nucleoside analog reverse-transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) class. AZT inhibits the enzyme (reverse transcriptase) that HIV uses to synthesize DNA, thus preventing viral DNA from forming.sed by itself in HIV-infected patients, AZT slows HIV replication in patients, but does not stop it entirely. HIV may become AZT-resistant over time, and therefore AZT is now usually used in conjunction with other anti-HIV drugs in the combination therapy called highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).